We love our animal companions, and we love our planet, so how can we parent our pets in the most earth-friendly ways? With a little thought and planning, we can take the best care of both our animals and the Earth.
DIY Instead of Buy
One of the biggest challenges facing the environment is garbage. Whether it’s from excess stuff or too much packaging, our landfills are overcrowded with materials that don’t quickly or easily biodegrade. Rather than shopping for new items and adding to the garbage mountains growing in landfills, make your own toys and snacks. It can be as simple as braiding old pieces of fabric into a chew toy or shaping some peanut butter into a dog bone then freezing it. Be as creative as possible with DIY toys and treats, and you’ll be making your animal and the Earth very happy.
Stay Local
If you want to hike with your dog or make a visit to the dog park, stay as close to home as possible to avoid eating up fuel and adding carbon to the environment with long drives. Likewise, make sure to shop locally and purchase needed products from close-by companies that use locally sourced materials and ingredients. You’ll limit your carbon footprint and help out the economy of your local community.
Stay Earth-Friendly and Safe Outside
Keep the Earth and your animal safe by not using chemical pesticides and treatments in your yard or on your animal. Instead, opt for organic or all-natural products to help keep pests like ticks and mosquitoes at bay. Try Earth Animal’s Nature’s Protection line for safe and effective pest protection that won’t harm your animal or the Earth. And don’t worry about having the greenest lawn on the block. It’s far better for the planet and your animal for you to have a pollinator-friendly yard than to have green, weed-free grass.
Monitor Your Animals Outside
There are a number of reasons why you wouldn’t want to leave your animal companion unsupervised outside, not least of which is that he may cause harm to another animal and that animal may be a protected species. There are many types of birds, for example, whose numbers are limited, and you wouldn’t want your dog or cat contributing to their demise. Additionally, your animal’s waste is not simply a natural part of the environment. It won’t just biodegrade and fertilize the soil so you don’t want to leave him outside and not clean up after him. As we’ve written about before, pet waste is a big contaminant of waterways and a leading spreader of pathogens. Disposing of it properly – using biodegradable bags or a scooper and flushing it – is the environmentally conscious thing to do.
Shop Consciously
When you’re choosing food for your animal companion, select an earth-friendly brand. Read the label to ensure that the ingredients are all-natural. Stay away from food made from animals treated with hormones and antibiotics. Choose locally sourced and organic, if possible. And don’t forget to consider the packaging. Earth Animal’s Wisdom dog food is a great environmentally friendly option that your dog will love.
It’s always a great time to take stock of how you can best care for your animal companion in an earth-friendly way. Even just making a few changes will help. Your animal and the Earth will thank you.
